Apparatus for rotatably supporting a workpiece during tempering

ABSTRACT

An installation or rotatably spporting a workpiece for example during Tempering, the support comprising two endless belts or chains each of which has an upper run passing around a pair of pulleys whose axes are horizontally spaced and situatd at the same level, a drive for a belt or chain, and a return device for each belt or chain below the pulleys, the chains or belts being adjustably spaced from one another and their upper runs serving to rotatably support a workpiece, one of them serving to effect that rotation.

Rey

, United States Patent [191 APPARATUS FOR ROTATABLY SUPPORTING AWORKPIECE DURING TEMPERING I Michel Rey, Chateau Montcenis (Saone etLoire), France Inventor:

Assignee: Creusot-Loire, Paris, France Filed: Aug. 17, 1972 Appl. No.:281,483

Foreign Application Priority Data Sept 3, 1971 US. Cl. 214/1 QC, 214/340Int. Cl. B65g 7/00 Field of Search 214/338, 339, 340, 1 QC ReferencesCited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1954 Aronson 214/1 QC France 71.31951 [4 1Mar. 26, 1974 McBath 214/340 Seymour 214/340 Primary Examiner-Robert G.Sheridan Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Cameron, Kerkam, Sutton Stowell &Stowell [57] ABSTRACT An installation or rotatably spporting a workpiecefor example during Tempering, the support comprising two endless beltsor chains each of which has an upper run passing around a pair ofpulleys whose axes are horizontally spaced and situatd at the samelevel, a drive for a belt or chain, and a return device for each belt orchain below the pulleys, the chains or belts being adjustably spacedfrom one another and their upper runs serving to rotatably support aworkpiece, one of them serving to effect that rotation.

2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PAIENIEUHAR'26 m4 sum 1 or 3 v 8 5 Q9 38 Q:

i lllLliill L nmw APPARATUS FOR ROTATABLY SUPPORTING A WORKPIECE DURINGTEMPERING The object of the present invention is an installation forsupporting and rotationally driving cylindrical workpieces of largedimensions during an operation of tempering by spraying of water andpossibly by blown air.

This installation, in which the workpiece turns around its own axis in ahorizontal position, is particularly intended for the tempering of veryheavy workpieces which are bodies of revolution and which comprise aplurality of cylindrical elements of different diameters.

There exist installations for the tempering of heavy workpieces whichare bodies of revolution, for example, the rotors of turbines oralternators, in which the workpiece is held vertically or horizontallyin front of the cooling device. An installation of the first type isdescribed in French Pat. No. 1204662. It particularly comprises a rotarysupport from which the product to be tempered is suspended vertically,the tempering column extending at. the side of the workpiece. It is notpossible to treat the heaviest and most cumbersome workpieces with thisinstallation. In the installations for tempering in a horizontalposition, such as described in French Pat. No. 1,425,298, the workpiecerests on two pairs of pulleys, each of the pairs of pulleys being'mounted on a turning carriage, one of the pulleys, driven by a motor,communicating a rotary motion to the workpiece in front of the coolingdevice. This latter installation is particularly suited for supportingand driving machined products.

The installation according to the invention enables these disadvantagesto be avoided. It enables heavy and cumbersome pieces in the rough, orrough-forged, to be treated.

According to the invention, the installation comprises two supports forrotatably supporting a workpiece, which supports aredisplaceablerelatively toward and away from one another and drivingmeans in respect of at least one of these supports to rotate theworkpiece, each of the supports comprises an endless belt 'or an endlesschain an upper run of which extends about two upper pulleyswh ose axesare disposed at the same level, and are spaced apart at least by thediame- 'ter of the workpiece, and a return device situated Theinstallation of FIG. 1 shows a product 3 to be tempered, supported anddriven rotationally by two supports 1 and 2 to rotatably support theproduct, the support 1 serving also to rotate the product 3. The support2 allowsthe product to be positioned horizontally, whatever its profile.

A tempering installation 4 shown very diagrammatically on FIGS. 2 and 3does not come within the scope of the invention. It comprises rows eachcomprising a plurality of sprays, carried by tubular supports 5, whichmay be completely lifted up during the maneuvers of positioning andremoval of workpieces, or partially lifted in order to adjust thepositions of the different spray sets according to the profile of theproduct.

The support 1, shown in detail in FIG. 2, is constructed of mechanicallywelded elements and comprises a double block-chain 11, which supportsthe product 3. The chain 11 runs on two pulleys or sprockets 121 and131, mounted to revolve freely, and situated on each side of theproduct; the chain also runs on a lower pulley 11 situated below theproduct 3. Lateral runs of the chain are guided by chain guides 123 and133. The axes of the pulleys 121 and 131 are journalled in bearingscarried respectively by yokes 122 and 132, and cooled by'water sprays.These yokes are mounted on a movable chassis 14 formed by a bed 141supported by transverse beams 142, 143 and 144, connected bylongitudinal beams such as 145. A lower pulley 151, surrounded by acasing 147, is positioned between the two beams 143 and 144, which areprofiled to enable the passage of an axle 152 of the pulley 151journalled in bearings lodged in the casing 147. The pulley 151 isdriven by means of a reducing gear 153, situated between the beams 142and 143, and connected to a motor 154.

A chassis rests on the beams 142, 143 and 144, and

can slide, transversely of the axis of the product 3, relative to afixed chassis 16 formed by beams 162, 163 and 164 connected together bytwo plates 165 and 166 which rest on the foundations. The provision of achassis which is transversely movable on both sides of the horizontalaxis of the installation has the object of preventing and compensatingpossible longitudinal displacements of the product 3 relative to theturning supports 1 and 2. After transverse displacement of the movablechassis 14, the product 3 rests in effect on the chain 11 along ahelical contact arc, and the product 3 is subjected to a slightlyhelicoidal movement. The

slide blocks such as 142b and 162b are inserted between the beams'of thefixed chassis and of the movable chassis. The transverse movement of themovable chassis isproduced by four hydraulic jacks such as 163e, 163d,164d, driven from a control desk and symmetrically and horizontallydisposed within the beams 163 and 164 of the fixed chassis. Guiding ofthe transverse movement is ensured by two slide bars connected to thefixed chassis 16, such as 167, and two slides such as 148 connected tothe movable chassis 14. The two slide bars 167 are opposed, parallel tothe beams, each of them being fixed on plates 165 and 166. The support2, shown in detail on FIG. 3, comprises a chain 21 running on three idlepulleys 221, 231 and 252. The product 3 rests on the upper run whichextends between pulleys 221 and 231 carried respectively by yokes 222and 232. The yokes are fixed on a bed 241 which rests on parallel rails6,6 and 7,7' symmetrically disposed relative to the axis of the product3. The sup port 2 is thus displaceable longitudinally along the lengthof the workpiece to be tempered 3. The bed is fixed, on the rails, atthe desired position, by means of attachments 8 and 9. Lower pulley 252is mounted in a housing 251, which is vertically movable and guided byfour columns such as 253, 254, 255, sliding in tubes such as 242arranged within the bed 241. Hydraulic jacks such as 243, mounted in thebed 241, vertically displace the housing 251. The interposition ofvalves in the oil circuits of the hydraulic jacks enables the rods ofthe jacks to be immobilised by the incompressibility of the oil. Thelevel at which the tensioning pulley 252 stops is determined by theclosing of the valves, and may be selected from a control desk.

The support 1 is in principle the most heavily loaded, the cylindricalpart of the product 3 in contact with the upper run of the chain 11 ofthis support being generally of greater diameter than that in contactwith the chain 21 of the turning support 2. This disposition of theproduct 3 thus favours its driving by the support 1. To maintain asufficient arc of rolling between the chain 21 of the turning support 2and the product 3, and to limit the swinging of the product, the spacingof the yokes 222 and 232 of the turning support 2 is adjustable. Theyokes 222 and 232 are assembled on the bed 241 by attachments such as244, 245, 246 with transverse slotted and keyed shafts, which may bedismantled and permit the adjustment of the spacing of the yokes. Theyoke 222 is shown on FIG. 2 in the closed-up position defined for aproduct 3 of small diameter, the yoke 232 being shown in the positiondefined for a product of large diameter.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to theinstallation described above, which could be modified in its details, orcompleted by any useful accessory element, without departing from thescope of the invention.

For example, if the spacing between the diameter in contact with onesupport and the diameter in contact with the other support of theproduct is too large, the regulation of the horizontal positioning ofthe axis of the product by regulation of the chain of the support 2 canpresent disadvantages, as the support 2 would then require aconsiderable bulk and a design giving it sufficient strength. In such acase, an additional vertical adjustment of one of the turning supportsmay be provided. A foundation with several guide mark levels, B, M, H onFlG. 1, then permits the vertical positioning of the turning support 1,to adjust the axes of work-- pieces to a horizontal position as afunction of their profile.

I claim:

1. An installation for rotatably supporting a workpiece comprising twosupports for rotatably supporting a workpiece, means for displacing saidsupports relatively toward and away from one another, driving means forat least one of said supports for rotating the workpiece, two upperpulleys for each of said supports, an endless chain for each of saidsupports, an upper run of said chain extending about said two upperpulleys whose axes are disposed at the same level, and are spaced apartat least by the diameter of the workpiece, a return device for saidchain situated below the level of the axes of said pulleys, said upperrun of said chain carrying the workpiece during operation, said twoupper pulleys being disposed on an intermediate chassis mounted formovement horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the axis of therelative movement of said supports on a transversely immobile lowerchassis,

ing the spacing of said yokes.

1. An installation for rotatably supporting a workpiece comprising twosupports for rotatably supporting a workpiece, means for displacing saidsupports relatively toward and away from one another, driving means forat least one of said supports for rotating the workpiece, two upperpulleys for each of said supports, an endless chain for each of saidsupports, an upper run of said chain extending about said two upperpulleys whose axes are disposed at the same level, and are spaced apartat least by the diameter of the workpiece, a return device for saidchain situated below the level of the axes of said pulleys, said upperrun of said chain carrying the workpiece during operation, said twoupper pulleys being disposed on an intermediate chassis mounted formovement horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the axis of therelative movement of said supports on a transversely immobile lowerchassis, motor means for moving and for immobilizing said intermediatechassis, said return device including a movable lower pulley to tensionsaid chain and a drive-motor for said lower pulley.
 2. Installationaccording to claim 1, said two upper pulleys being mounted in yokes andmeans for adjusting the spacing of said yokes.